The InBetween
by Tries-too-hard
Summary: When I received my Hogwarts letter, I wasn't thrilled or excited. I didn't want to leave my family and friends to enter an unknown world. So I didn't go. But now I have no choice. When everyone you ever loved has died, there aren't options.
1. Intro

The World of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.

My chapters are named after songs.

Enjoy.

**Soldier Side-Intro**

**System of a Down**

My Hogwarts letter came the year before I would enter middle school My family had known about wizards, my dad had been a squib, but we were all surprised that I had the gift. My younger brother were just muggles. My parents had been divorced and I hadn't seen my dad for awhile so we didn't really know what to do about it.

The only thing I remember thinking was I didn't want to go . Fifth grade had been hard for me and my letter scared me. I didn't want to start over. I love my family but I have never had a problem going away. I don't get homesick often, but something inside me didn't want to leave my home. My mom was unsure. She wanted me to learn what I needed to but she didn't know anything about the wizarding world.

When Dumbledore came to visit, he was friendly enough but I wasn't convinced. My mom talked with him and we found there was a "muggle" school in the area that had a few wizards and witches attending. We found out that it had early morning and night classes for spells but during the day I would be just another human being. My family made the to town a bit away and the school ended up being exactly what I needed. I lived between the two worlds. I learned math and took history classes while brewing healing potions and learning to turn a piece of paper into a bird. I would have field trips to Stonehenge and to the Ministry of Magic.

My life was perfect enough for me. I was able to maintain human friends and be with my family. The students and I called each other the "in-betweens." I had a car and drove all over. I could have a job and on numerous occasions handed a confused clerk sickles instead of quarters. Although it was supposed to be a secret, a lot of my muggle friends knew I was a witch. Some of the students were muggle-borns, some had a wizard parents and one was pure-blooded. In my school, no one cared. I met some other wizarding kids. I went to Quidditch games. I was a citizen of both worlds.

Throughout the years, we learned of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Harry Potter, and what was going on. We learned that the strange accidents were due to the Death Eaters and the war going on. A few of us had been directly impacted. One of my classmate's fathers had been killed near Diagon Alley, and another had a grandparent kidnaped for information. I knew people and we all talked about what was going on. Once, I had been walking with a friend and we saw a few Death Eaters but we got out of there as quick as possible.

My life never directly intertwined with the war until the bleak day when the school had a day for the wizards' families to come visit. It was a shock when they came in, hurling Unforgivable Curse like a kid would play a video game. Seeing all the bodies of people I had known was unforgettable. A few of us fought, including myself, but one by one we were knocked down. I remember my knees buckling to the floor when the Aurors finally arrived. I held my brother's cold hand as they tried to take control of the situation. Tears streaming down my face, hitting his chest, I couldn't hear anything.. I was stone. Most of the Death Eaters had left, but a few injured ones were left. There had been so much yelling but the eerie silence hurt so much. I had to step over my best friend's body to leave the room.

The rest was a blur. I woke up in St. Mungos the next day with a bandage around my stomach. . I had been hit in the side with a spell that was eating my skin away. I hadn't even noticed. During the night, it had healed. I shared the room with the other survivors. Two other students survived and a few family members. I head the nurse say that of the sixty people, only nine survived. They all left within a few hours to go with family.

I left on my own. In a zombie state, I arrived home and unlocked my door. I ignored my dog, whimpering to get food and go outside, and went straight for the phone. Before I could get there, I saw Dumbledore sitting on my couch. I didn't jump when I saw him. I wished he was a Death Eater. I wanted to die like everyone else.

His face was full of pity. I hated him. He was supposed to be the only wizard Voldemort feared and he was sitting in my house like nothing happened. He told me that I would need to go somewhere for protection. The remaining Death Eaters would be after me. They saw my face, saw me fight and they wanted me. Dead. Later that day, I found out the "surviving students" were killed outside the hospital. I had taken the long way out. Dumbledore told me that we had been attacked because our school stands for everything they are against, like muggles, diversity and unity.

Walking around now, I wish I could dive off a cliff into burning fire. It would all stop. But I can't. It has only been two days and everything changed. My family is gone, my dog is at a muggle friends', I had to empty my bank account, I can't even attend my family's funeral and Dumbledore has "taken me in".

I was staying at a friend of his named Sturgis Podmore for the last two nights. We didn't talk much. I stayed in the extra bedroom most of the time. I had been escorted back to my house to get clothes and highly important things. I cried as I went through my brothers' rooms. The aurors tried to hurry me up without being rude but it took all the strength I had to walk out my front door for probably the last time.

He wants me to go to the Leaky Cauldron tonight to meet one of his previous employees who is supposed to keep track of me for the next two days. His name is Remos or something. We will be staying next door to each other at the Leaky Cauldron. The guy will have my list of books and clothes and crap. I am doing the one thing in life that I never, ever wanted to do; for my second semester of my sixth year, I will be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


	2. Land of Confusion

**Land Of Confusion**

**Disturbed**

"I waited for her and Sturgis for more than an hour. I didn't want to stay any longer in case something happened."

Dumbledore looked up from his papers at Remus. Sitting back into his seat, he acted calm even though you could see in his eyes that he was concerned.

"Did you check back at Podmore's house? Maybe something happened. Although he tends to a bit late, I doubt he would outright not show up."

Molly, pouring more tea into the Headmaster's mug, listened intently. Ever since she learned of the girl's situation, she found herself very sympathetic. The war does horrible things and she hates that all those families were killed, but worse that only one student was allowed to survive. Being alone in the world can be a really hard thing.

"I don't know where he lives and I thought it best to come to you directly first."

Dumbledore nodded. Seconds later, he apparated himself and Remus into Sturgus's house. He was sitting at his desk, writing a letter and bobbing his head to classical music coming from an ancient radio.

"Have you forgotten something, friend?" Podmore jumped at Dumbledore's voice. Shaking it off, he looked confused.

"Was I supposed to go with the girl? I thought you just wanted to talk to her. And where is she?"

Lupin's eyes got quite big, trying to remain calm he replied, "Sturgis, she never came. I waited for a while. I didn't see her."

"That is just not possible. I got her there twenty minutes early. She insisted on going in alone, so I watched her take a table and order a drink. She was at the Leaky Cauldron safe and sound," Podmore insisted. He looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Dumbledore took a loud, deep breath. "Then it appears as if we have a problem." Moments later, he vanished.

Trudging through the falling snow, I headed for my favorite place to be. It took me a while to find it, I had never walked through that part of town alone when everything was white. I don't know why I left the Leaky Cauldron. I was sick of being at Slughorn's and I didn't want to wait around for someone else I don't know. Dumbledore didn't care about me, he cared about the cause and my "case". Horace only took me on because he was cornered with the request, and I didn't need to do nothing for another night.

Eventually, I saw the door and someone smoking outside. Getting closer, I realized it was my ex Tyler. Of course it would be him, because life seemed to hate me recently.

"Haven't seen you around for awhile." He said, smugly.

"No shit, Sherlock," I retorted. He would not get the best of me.

I pushed passed him and went inside. The black, creaky door led me to the hallway. I headed straight for the stairs to the basement. I could hear the music pumping and smell the alcohol from the top of the staircase. I headed down.

I saw some people dancing, but headed right for my people. Sitting at our table, I was surprised I knew everyone there. I took an empty seat next to Nott. Once the hand was over, Draco looked up and gave me a knowing smile.

"Bout time you showed up, champ. You in?"

I put my money on the table, a lot more than I usually bring. I saw Pansy raise her eyebrows and look over at me, slightly impressed. And then we played. They all knew. No one pitied, no one questioned, no one acted like anything was different. And that is why I loved this place and these people.

I first came to this place when I dated Pete, one of my former classmates. We were only together a few months, but we always stayed friends. When he brought me, I met these kids. He had met them through a relative and started hanging out here in our third or fourth year (we dated in his sixth, my fifth). This place didn't have a name. I don't know who owned it, and I don't know who started coming here first.

The first time I came here, it was a bit uncomfortable. I didn't know anybody but Pete, and they weren't the friendliest crowd. Everyone was cool with me, and I eventually started fitting in. There were a few people I couldn't quite figure out. Draco was always very cold towards me, until the night I had his back when he dueled. The other dueler's friend had shot an unforgivable towards Draco. Not only did I block it, but I hit the kid with a few extra spells. No one else had noticed, and since then, we've been friendly. He is really intriguing, but he doesn't get close to people. I could defiantly not figure out Goyle. He had never disliked me. Ever. He actually makes me uncomfortable with how openly he talks to me and, well, gawks at me. People sneer at how he acts about me, but it's like he doesn't even notice.

I have never considered myself beautiful, but I could pass for pretty on a good day. But every time Goyle looked at me, it was like I was the Goddess that he would worship for an eternity. At first it was nice, but it was getting old. Not that I want him to, but he never really tries to make a move or anything.

I quickly learned that the majority of them were Slytherins. Tyler, who is very talkative, told me how Hogwarts worked and that most of their parents were Death Eaters. At first it scared me a bit, but I realized that they didn't want to jump up and become murderers. Most of them were used to being hit at home and Draco was famous for coming in with blood soaking through his robes from the stuff he endured. Plus, all the kids weren't Slytherin either. There were a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Never Gryffindors though. From how they were described, most Gryffindors were goody-too-shoes who would only ever break a rule in the name of good. This was illustrated by Crabbe dancing around with a drawn on scar and interpreted his impression of Harry Potter. I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

After Pete and I broke up, I didn't come back for awhile. But I missed the atmosphere. Although there was an occasional fight, most of the time it felt safe. Like, the world was separate from this old, dirty basement. Everyone was fucked up, and it was accepted.

I looked at the only clock in the whole place, and it told me that it was three in the morning. I'm surprised I could see straight, much less still be winning a few hands with all the drinks I had had.

"I think I gotta go," I slurred.

"Too bad you have nowhere to go," Pansy said. She was brutally honest. Some people called that being a bitch, but sometimes it was refreshing.

"I've got people," I said, almost falling from my chair. After everyone getting a bit of a laugh, I headed out the door.

He must have been waiting for me to leave the comfort of my friends. Shortly after I dated Pete, Tyler and I started hanging out a lot. He had gone to Durmstrang and was two years older. We started messing around, and it eventually turned into a relationship. We didn't last long though. He was really possessive and I wasn't a fan. He didn't like that I hung out with muggles or acted like one. I have only ran into him once since we broke up three months ago, but I could tell that he was in a mood, whether from the alcohol or the gross amount of cigarettes surrounding him.

"You have fun, tonight?" Tyler snickered. I ignored him and as I stepped into the snow. "You look like you are going to need someone to walk ya home, babe." I started walking a bit faster. I was going a bit too fast for being tipsy, and almost slipped. I heard him laugh behind me. I don't know why I wasn't answering, we weren't on bad terms. He grabbed my arm and swung me around. It wasn't violent; he let go of my arm when I faced him.

"I think you need someone to warm you up, don't you?" I pushed him away from me. He took a step closer and I took out my wand. Freezing, I could see his emotions like they were painted on his face. "No need to get all scary on me." We made eye contact, and he shrugged, "Whatever, see you later." He headed back inside, and had to brush passed Draco standing in the doorway.

"You forgot your winnings," Draco said as he handed me my pouch. I was surprised that he would return it, much less follow me outside.

"Thanks," I replied. He made a its-no-biggie shrug. We stood there in the cold, and I felt myself almost fall over. He noticed and gave me his sly smile. God, he was cute, there was no denying it.

I said "bye" and we both headed our separate directions. I knew he was headed towards a giant mansion, although I had never seen the place. Sadly, I didn't even know where I was headed. I couldn't remember where Sturgis lived, so I just headed for the Leaky Cauldron. All the streets looked the same and all the houses seemed to blend together. I kept telling myself to keep going, someone should be waiting for me. And they would still be there, right?

After about fifteen minutes, I couldn't help but sit down and but my head between my legs. I knew I was close. I was about to start walking again, but I stood up too fast. I lost my balance and fell on the snow. My clothes were soaking and I was trying to gather the energy to get up. I closed my eyes for just a few seconds, then blacked out.

Authors note: I wasn't quite sure which song to pick for the title, but I envisioned that this was the kind of music they would listen to at the place.

P.S. I love reviews


	3. Hungover

**Hungover**

**Kei$ha**

I woke up coughing. It was one of those moments when you don't know where you are and you feel your heartbeat speed up as your fear response kicks in. Looking around, I didn't recognize the room. I was in a twin bed. The room was on the tiny side and there were wizard pictures on the wall. I didn't hear anybody in the house, or apartment or wherever I was. Looking up, there was a picture of a woman sleeping on the beach. I tapped on her frame, trying to wake her up quietly. She shifted in her sleep. Getting frustrated, I basically punched the thing.

"What? What's going on?" she asked in confusion, louder than I hoped she would.

"I'm sorry, but where am I? I have no idea what is going on." She stood up, put her hands on her hips and looked me up and down. It wasn't the time, but all I could think about was how I really like her green bikini.

"Well, not that I should tell you since you woke me up so rudely, but you happen to be at the Tonks' residence. This is the spare bedroom. I was woken up earlier when they dragged your body into the room. Nymphadora and the guy did. His name is...hmm...Remus Lupin. You were a bit.. out of it," she said nastily.

I realized that Remus was the one I was supposed to meet at the Leaky Cauldron, but as for the chick, assuming Nympha-whata is a female name, I had no idea. I took a few deep breaths. I looked around and saw that my purse was on the floor. I rifled through it, my money was still hidden in the pocket, thank God, and nothing else seemed to be missing.

I tried to think back to last night. They must have found me freezing and completely passed out. Assuming Remus Lupin can be trusted, I must be somewhat safe in this stranger's house.

I tried to stand up. I think I have gotten drunk one other time in my life, but not this bad. My head was beating incredibly hard. I lay down on my pillow and closed my eyes. I invisioned my own room. With my computer by the window and my giant bed in the center of the wall. I imagined my dog, seeing that I was awake, came and jumped all over me. I would throw the covers over my face and he would play and try to get me out.

If I couldn't go back to sleep after that, I would have headed into the living room. Sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, my brother would be eating his third bowl of cereal. I sit down on the couch and hear the laundry machine going. My mom would walk into the room and we would all still be in our pajamas. We would chose a movie that only one of us had seen and waste our Saturday.

I brushed the tears rolling down my face. I would give anything to look at them again. Or hug my friends. Or be in my school. Or be with people I know even.

I stopped myself from turning this into some lame-ass pity party and gathered my strength to get up.

I was only in my cami and shorts, which seemed to be still a bit damp. The rest of my clothes were drying by a window. I went towards them and saw that the sun was about to rise. The area looked to be near the city, and I wasn't quite sure what to do. Although I didn't like him, I basically broke Dumbledore's trust as well as Podmore's, this Remus guy's and whoever else went looking for me last night.

I put my hand in my hair as I looked around. Thinking about what to do, I caught my reflection in the mirror. Basically, I looked like a crack whore. The little make-up I had on was rubbed all over my eyes, my hair looked disgusting, the shirt was a bit tight, my skin was sickly white, and I _looked_ hungover.

There was a dresser with a hairbrush and I went at it. While trying to tame my lion's mane, I noticed a note by the table stand and read it was I tried to fix myself.

_Peyton,_

_In case you are worried, you are completely safe here. You can help yourself to any of the clothes in the drawers. We weren't sure how long you would sleep. Dumbledore is going to come by about noon to speak to you. We understand you have been through a lot, but it seems he may expect you to head to Hogwarts in the next few days. I would love to take you shopping and get you anything you don't have. _

_Come downstairs whenever you wish,_

N. Tonks

I went for the closet and glad to see it was actually a bathroom. I took a long, hot shower. I felt a lot less sick coming out and I felt fortunate that the towels smelled nice. At Podmore's house, the towels stank of feet and old people (not that he was even that old). I looked through the drawers and realized that I didn't have any clean underwear. After not coming up with any better ideas, I washed my pair with hand-soap and took a long amount of time using a blow dryer to dry it. As I walked out, I saw my wand had rolled under my bed. I mentally slapped myself in the face when I figured out that a simple spell would have cleaned my underwear just as nicely. Normally, I jump at every second to use it in everyday life, but I'm not feeling normal anymore.

I fumbled through the drawers and settled on a pair of sweat pants. Whoever's room this was seemed to be a few sizes smaller, not that its hard to do. The shirts were way too tight and I had to settle for a shirt that would have been big and baggy. Except on me, it fit my boobs just perfectly.

I finally managed to head downstairs. It must have been six or seven (I don't know how I woke up that early anyway) and I hoped the kitchen would be empty. I didn't know where the thing was, but it was very easy to find. It was cute enough. There was a small four-person table in the middle and the sun came through the full-length windows. There was a newspaper on the table, but no one in sight.

I rummaged through the shelves and found a plate. In the fridge, I found my favorite bread and put it in the toaster while I looked for fruit and cereal. Of course, there wasn't any cereal I liked and all the fruit looked a little wrinkly, so I just settled on the toast. Just as I was peanut-buttering my burnt toast, an older-looking guy walked in.

"I thought I heard somebody. Ted Tonks. I'm surprised you are up so early."

He offered his hand to me very nicely. I could tell that he wasn't sure about me. I internally cringed on the impression I must have made on these people. "Peyton," I said as I shook his hand, "And thank you for your generosity in having me stay here. I apologize for getting in so late and...everything."

He smiled sweetly at me. He was about to say something when a younger, short-haired woman came into the room.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed excitedly. She was nice looking, but I was entirely jealous of her blue hair. She started talking very quickly and her father wasn't surprised at her morning energy level. I laughed a bit when he gave me a look, "Most of my girlfriends talk faster, I can handle this," I replied. In reality, I couldn't really take her energy level at the moment.

She ignored him as she went on. She reiterated everything the note said, asked how I was feeling, heard me coughing last night, was glad I found the bathroom. She took a breather and found herself a box of cereal. She sat down right next to me and stole the newspaper from her father as he got up to get some water.

Breakfast continued nicely. She read a few headlines to me, said she wasn't quite sure she could predict anything Dumbledore said and explained that they weren't even releasing my name to the public. It was common knowledge that only one student survived and they didn't want to put me in any more danger by saying exactly who was the "lone survivor". As far as anyone knows, I am incognito.

I heard footsteps coming into the room and turned to see a shaggy guy walk in. I could feel Tonks's face light up. He gave her a cute kiss on the cheek and sat down next to her, across from me. My first thought was, so this is the guy that I ditched.

"Hi," I said weakly.

"Hello, I'm Remus," he replied shortly.

It got a bit awkward. "I'm..I'm sorry," I said. He nodded as he poured his cereal into a bowl he had grabbed off the counter. "It was really wrong of me to just leave like that. I don't know what came over me."

"It's hard," he replied after a pause, "and I get it. I'm not going to give you a speech, but I'm sure Dumbledore may. It is really dangerous nowadays and especially in your situation. You cannot do that again. I'm not saying I don't understand, regardless you need to be more careful. I'm not going to ask where you were, but it probably wasn't the safest place to be."

I didn't say anything back and the only sounds you could hear were people eating. I was thinking about Dumbledore and what he was going to say to me.

"So, how do you guys know Dumbledore?" I asked, breaking the silence. They both looked at me surprisingly, like it was the stupidest question. Mr. Tonks laughed and smiled to himself.

"He has been the Headmaster at Hogwarts for decades. I actually taught for a year. We have worked with him with the war as well," Remus said vaguely. Tonks didn't add anything, apparently this was all I needed to know.

"Don't be nervous. I don't think he will be hard on you at all," another woman said. She was defiantly Nymphadora's mother. "I'm Andromeda. I'm happy you are staying here for a short while, but I'm afraid Ted and I are actually leaving the country for a week. I'm sorry I won't get to be more of a hostess. I actually woke up late."

She seemed very rushed and I replied but she didn't seem to notice. She went back upstairs with Ted and a half-hour later they were out of the house.

"We have a distant cousin on my dad's side getting married," Nymphadora told me later, "I'm not going because I don't think I have ever even heard of the guy before."

After breakfast, I cleaned up and headed back to the stairs. I got turned around and ended up just exploring. That only took me about twenty minutes so I spent the rest of the morning laying around the living room, and I was happy to see that they had a television. Of course, there was nothing good on. I just ended up watching informercials and one of the many shows about fixing up houses. I couldn't sleep because I would start coughing horribly.

The time went surprisingly quickly. When the grandfather clock went off with twelve ring, it felt like it had only been a few minutes.. Moments after, they were a knock at the door. Through the window, I saw Albus Dumbledore coming to meet me.


	4. Boston

**Boston**

**Augustana**

He went into the kitchen with Remus and Tonks. I sat on the couch, twiddling my thumbs. I was using my yoga breathing techniques and trying very carefully to control my body's nervousness. The only time I ever got nervous is when I'm getting in trouble or giving a speech for a class. And I don't get in trouble much.

I tried to hear what they were talking about. They were using hushed voices that I couldn't make out. I watched the grandfather clock ticking for two minutes before I stood up and walked around to look at the pictures. There was a picture of two old men sitting on bar stools next to each other playing cards. They started making fun of my eyebrow piercing so I continued on to see a milkmaid in the barn with some of her horses. Through the window, I saw a young lad looking longingly at her. I smiled and watched the girl do her chores.

I quickly turned around when I heard the door open. The couple looked like they meant business and said a quick goodbye as they headed out the door. I did not like that they were leaving me all alone with Dumbledore, but I sucked it up.

He sat down on the dark blue chair perpendicular to the couch. I didn't want to sit back down, but I did. I plopped down in the center so I wouldn't be too close to him or seem completely distant. We sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

"You are lucky to be alive," he said. Like I didn't know. Like it wasn't completely obvious. For me, last night was part of a near-death experience. It was helpful for my soul. He continued, "And that Mundungus Fletcher was the person who found you shivering in the snow. I also understand Remus did not ask you any details and I will not either, but if that is the behavior you will show then we cannot help you," he paused, waiting for a reaction but I was stone. I know my life wasn't his fault, but every time I saw him I wanted to rip his face off. He kept talking, seeming to become more comfortable "Now, as for schooling. You have a shorter Winter Break, and you were back in school last week. If you don't recall, it is Monday. The train for Hogwarts leaves Wednesday morning. Classes begin Thursday. Unless you have valid reasons to object, I hoped you would spend one more night here, then go to Diagon Alley with some students to buy books and robes and leave for the train in the mornig. Due to the fact that your school didn't use robes, I'm assuming you are going to need a few."

I nodded, "I grabbed the one pair I have. It's purple."

He smiled, "Ah, well the dress code is black or very dark colored robes. For instance, the Slytherin wear a deep green. But, you do not know which house you are going to be in. You may know that our tradition is that you get sorted as a first year in front of the entire student body, but you will need to be sorted upon your arrival. Hopefully, you won't find it to embarrassing."

"Won't Death Eaters be alerted to the fact that I'm attending Hogwarts?" I asked quietly, ignoring that I will be forced to stand up in front of an entire school like an 11 year-old normally does. And I do know which house I would be in.

"Yes, but you are under my full protection, as well as many others. I do not know if we will be able to allow you on the Hogsmeade visits but you will be entirely safe in the castle. No question. On another note, tomorrow morning you will be escorted to the Weasley's Burrow. Tonks said that she wouldn't mind taking you in to get fitted for some robes today, then you can pick them up when you buy your books."

"That's fine," I said with little energy. "And I can bring my owl, correct?"

Dumbledore looked surprised that I even had one. "Of course, but I would be careful with who you are contacting and with what information."

"Understood," I said with the most excitement I have had in days.

"I have to be on my way, but if you have any questions Tonks is open and she said that you seemed comfortable enough to stay here alone for awhile. There are countless spells on the house and we are quite sure that your whereabouts are still unknown."

He got up to leave, and when he got to the door I realized something, "Wait, the Weasley's house? Who are the students I will be staying with?"

Before he apparated away, he answered, "Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter." With a poof he was gone.

"Well, this is going to be interesting," was all I could muster. I headed into the kitchen, imagining how tomorrow would go down as I picked the ingredients I knew so well. When doubtful or confused or sad or happy, the perfect thing to do is make cookies.

Tonks came back a few hours later without Remus. By that time, I had made snicker doodle, chocolate chip and sugar cookies. When she came into the kitchen, I was scrubbing the last dish.

Smiling, she picked up a sugar cookie. "I am very glad to see you have learned the kitchen" I gave a snort at that. She ate cookies like I did, one right after another. Atleast I wouldn't gain all ten pounds by myself.

"So, I am going to go throw on some clothes and we can head into stores and get you all fitted." I agreed and we both got ready at the same time. Leaving, I realized all I wanted to really do was crawl into bed and sleep for the day.


	5. Camisado

**Camisado**

**Panic at the Disco**

I wouldn't say that shopping was fun, but it wasn't awful. I quickly decided which style of robes I wanted and my fitter was angry at the last customer so it was a bit comical when she complained and mocked them for the majority of my trip there. She told me she didn't have time to make them all by tomorrow, but she could fix two or three and then owl me the others.

Color wise, I stuck with blacks, dark browns, midnight blues and a few green ones that matched my eyes. No matter what Dumbledore said, I would most defiantly wear my purple one. And if it was social suicide, it was going to happen eventually.

I crawled into bed exhausted and full of cookies. Tonks had been enjoyable, but she was a tad boring. I asked her about Remus and found out he was a lot older. I really liked that she didn't seem ashamed of it. She was her own person.

I closed my eyes and wrestled around my covers for a long time. At one point, I sat up and decided to grab myself a glass of water. Sadly, I couldn't get my Ipod to work with all the magic flowing in the upstairs portion of the house or else I would have used that to fall asleep.

As I made my way down the stairs, I heard Tonks talking with someone. I didn't recognize the voice, but I could make out exactly what was being said.

"She is lost, but getting her into school and making new friends will really help her. Don't assume she is a horrible person. She fought and survived. Give her a break. If it was Harry, you would be proud."

"But she isn't Harry. How come of all the witches and wizards she was the one to survive? And everyone else who made it to the hospital was slaughtered within hours. I don't think that is luck. We don't know anything about her, except she was a skilled student and who her father was."

"Do not use her father against her. We are all aware she has not seen him in a very long time. And she wasn't referred to as a skilled student, she was called the most natural and advanced student who ever crossed the threshold into that school. And she is not stupid."

"Even more of a reason for them to want to use her. Putting her into Hogwarts will lead to many things, and not all may be good. She could be recruited, if she isn't already, and befriend muggle students easily. She would be a very powerful tool."

"Anyone could be. You haven't even met her yet. Pass your judgements after you get to know her. I know I haven't even fully comprehended who she is."

I didn't move. I wished I wasn't on a creaky staircase, movement would only give me up. The man answered after a moments thought, "Students are looking for someone to trust. They will flock to her for being new and for what she survived and what her story stands for. I do not like to pass judgement, but this girl could turn into a terrible thing. Don't say she couldn't be. And I will get to meet her tomorrow and see for myself. Goodnight Tonks, and see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Kingsley. Sleep well," Tonks said bitterly. Thank God she headed for the cupboard. I saw her grab a liquor bottle and sit down. Once she looked like she was about to sleep, I crept my foot down another step and was thankful the wood didn't groan. I sneakily went to the kitchen and got my glass of water.

My mind was racing. So, that man thought I helped the Death Eaters? That I was some evil weapon to tear the world apart? The worst part was I saw where he was coming from. I shouldn't have survived, but who could ever let their friends and family be killed like that. And I can't tell people how I survived. It just _happened. _

I saw that there was a backdoor in the kitchen and walked outside. The snow was still a few inches off the ground, but thankfully there was a swing that hadn't frozen. I sat down and thought about what was going to happen to me.

I would be automatically rejected by anyone who didn't know me and hated muggles, and would be bothered for being the new kid, disliked for having led an odd life and loved by few. I thought about the small amount of people I was friendly with that attended Hogwarts. Hopefully, the fact that they were all in different houses would help me out.

I don't know how I possibly fell asleep in the cold, but I woke up to the sun touching my face. It was just rising, and I tried to walk inside, but found it was locked. Taking an aggravated breathe, I stepped back to look at the house. I couldn't remember which room was Tonks's, so I just threw snowballs on all of them. I had started enjoying it when I realized she had fallen asleep in the living room, on the other side of the house. I looked at the house again and realized I could climb into my room. I didn't have my wand, but it could still be fun. I climbed on the window but couldn't pull myself up because of the ice.

I fell into the snow and immediately got wet. I lay down to make a snow-angel when I saw a small shed in the back corner. Investigating, I went and was thankful to see it was unlocked. Inside, there were blankets and a couch. I looked around and found a key. I crossed my fingers and wished it would open the backdoor and was delighted when it did.

I must have made a lot of noise coming in, because Nymphadora furiously came in and started screaming at me.

"What the hell were you doing? You don't think you can get away with sneaking out in the middle of the night and just waltzing back in whenever you want to."

I tried to correct her, but she put her palm up and continued.

"I have been very nice to you, and no one punished or gave you a real lecture, but I guess we should have. I can't believe you. Do I have to check for the Dark Mark too?"

I had been lighthearted about everything else considering it was a mix up, but that last comment hurt. She did believe that guy from last night. She pretended to defend my honor, but that bitch believed it.

"Actually, I couldn't sleep and went in the backyard. When I woke up on the swing, the backdoor was locked and I found the key in the shed. Obviously, it took me a bit of time to do that, but I'm sorry to say I couldn't quite manage to acquire my Dark Mark last night. Maybe some other time."

I pushed passed her, attempting to knock her over, and headed upstairs. I jumped in the blazing hot shower and warmed up my skin. My skin went raw from the heat but I didn't care. The burning felt good. That bitch.

I got out and messed around with my Ipod until I launched it onto the bed. Getting dressed quickly, I realized there was nowhere for me to storm off to. Exhausted, I crawled into my bed with clothes on and lay there with tears rolling down my eyes.

In my family, we didn't yell. Of course we fought, but it was over in minutes. I would go to a friends house, read a book, cook something. We would give each other space. Not this girl, she started knocking on my door.

"Go away," I managed, trying to sound like I wasn't balling.

"We need to talk," she said in a tense, worried voice. I ignored her and locked the door with my wand. I was about to roll over when the door swung open and I saw Tonks standing in the doorway with her wand.

She tried to get control of herself. "I am sorry if I jumped to conclusions. I don't completely believe you just fell asleep in -8 Celsius, but if that's what you say then I guess I will accept it."

I continued glaring at her. I could see her body language show how awkward she felt. "And I don't know where that Death Eater comment came from. I apologize."

I could see her digging her nails into her arms.

"Can you go?" I asked. She looked up and I could see the tiredness permanently painted on her face.

She nodded and started closing the door nicely. I fell asleep as she whispered that I had two hours before we headed over to the Weasley's.

Reviews por favor!


	6. For Reasons Unknown

**For Reasons Unknown**

**The Killers**

I woke up to another knock on my door. "I'm up," I hollered unnecessarily loud. With a grunt, I fixed myself up in the mirror, grabbed my purse and headed to the front door. I was surprised to see Remus here, again. When I entered the room, he and Tonks stopped talking. For being secret agents or whatever, they made it quite obvious they had been discussing me.

"We are assuming you can handle being apparated, correct?" Remus asked me with little emotion. I nodded. There was someone else there I didn't know. I introduced myself and learned her name was Hestia Jones. She came off as very kind and light-hearted.

"Let's go then," Tonks said. I looked at her and she seemed slightly embarrassed. Hopefully, I would never have to be one-on-one with her, at least for awhile.

I wasn't ready when Hestia grabbed my hand. I hated the feeling of apparating, but it went quickly enough. I opened my eyes to a quaint living room full with people. There was a lot of commotion and within moments I was being passed around the room like nobody's business. I realized all the red-heads were the Weasley's. It seemed that everyone wasn't ready to go, they said the "kids" were still getting ready upstairs. I was introduced to Arthur and Molly Weasley. I noticed that Dumbledore wasn't there, but a Professor Snape was.. He seemed unhappy to be there, and quickly told me he was only staying for a few moments to speak with Hestia. Then I was introduced to Kingsley Shacklebolt. From his voice and process of elimination, I knew he was the guy from last night. With everyone else he seemed very social and pleasant, but with me I got a stand-offish feeling.

As we were beginning a useless conversation, a bustle of feet came running down the stairs. I looked up to see a plethora of people hustling down to the family room.

I quickly recognized Harry Potter. I didn't hold my stare on him for long though, I would hate being stared at, personally. One at a time, we were all introduced. Hermione seemed very friendly in a I-know-this-is-the-right-way-to-act-way-even-though-I-am-judging-everything-you-say-or-do. I felt like Ron looked down on me and when it was Harry's turn to be introduced there wasn't much talking. I tried to not emphasize that it was actually exciting to meet him. No matter what I heard, he is still the-boy-who-lived.

In the back of the group was another red-head who I learned was Ginny. I immediately picked up that she had dibs on Potter by the way she leaned against him and looked at me. Although she may pride herself on Harry, I wouldn't want to open that can of worms with everything going on in my life.

"We are just waiting for Alastor Moody to get here. He is bringing the Floo Powder and he is going to be one of our protectors," Hermione courteously said. I went into their circle and we had tried to have a light chit-chat. Most of the adults dispersed and I saw the professor walk off with Hestia in an important manner. I internally laughed at how peculiar he acted. He reminded me of one of my friends.

"So, are you excited to attend Hogwarts?" Ron asked me. I lied and entertained them. Of course, I have always wanted to see the place, I told them. And obviously, it is the only thing I can think about.

"We can show you the ropes," Harry said. "Only Dumbledore knows every corner of the school, but we will show you what you need to survive. Like the kitchens."

He seemed friendly enough. They all did. I wasn't quite sure what they had been told about me, but none of them let on if they had heard I was some angsty teenager or alcoholic ho-bag . A knock at the door had Ron running to open it. I started laughing when he was tripped by an invisible piece of thread someone had put in his path.

While Ron brushed it off, Ginny stepped over him and opened the door. I was talking to Hermione about the different classes and teachers we would get. I could tell she was smart and I appreciated it. I am generally nice to everyone, but I cannot handle stupid people. A few blonde moments are okay, but if a person doesn't have common sense all I can think about is hitting them in the face.

Then Alastor Moody made his way into the house. He looked just as odd as he was always described. With random dohickeys and thingamabobs hanging from his jacket, he looked like any crazy, poor man on the street. And the way he looked at me made me feel like his eye could see through my clothing. Ew.

Gathering around the fireplace, we had Kingsley go first and I followed. As a ministry worker, it would make sense that he would be my guard. We went to pick up my robes and then we would meet everyone in the bookstore. Next, he would leave me with Alastor and everyone else would eventually join. Apparently, he was not supposed to be seen with the Weasleys. They all defiantly had something undercover going on.

Arriving in the robe store, it was a lot busier than the day before. Apparently a lot of students tended to last minute shopping. I waited in a long line while Shacklebolt stood in the back. By the time I got to the woman, she was frazzled and had forgotten where my robes were. While the search began in the back, I started talking to the girl behind me. Kingsley gave me a disapproving look, so I pushed the conversation further.

Her name was Susan Fawcett and she was in Ravenclaw. This was going to be her last year at Hogwarts. "I'm really excited to finish up. I don't really know what I want to do, but I have always thought about working for the ministry. Working at a desk never hit me as a bad job, as long as it isn't mindless work."

"I totally agree. I'm only going into my sixth year, so I have a bit more time. I have only enjoyed animals, but I couldn't work with them for my entire life."

She laughed, "Animals involve too much shit, ya know?" I giggled as the lady came back with three sets of robes for me. As I was paying, Susan asked, "Green robes? Are you in Slytherin?"

While handing the worker the money, I answered, "I guess you'll find out tomorrow." She looked confused. I didn't think there were that many students at Hogwarts, but she must have thought we had just never run into each other. With a goodbye, she gave me an odd look and I hoped I didn't fuck up a possible friend by acting like a weirdo.

"Bringing attention to yourself doesn't seem like the brightest thing to do," Kingsley said. Ignoring his comment, I grabbed a cup of ice cream as we headed into the bookstore. I ignored the No Food or Drink sign and walked right inside.

Grinning, I ate my morning Fizzing Whizbees frozen yogurt while browsing through the teen witch book section. For having the best books on Diagon Alley, I wasn't impressed by Flourish and Blotts. Their inventory seemed to get worse and worse every time I visited.

Muttering something obscure, Alastor walked up to Kingsley. I couldn't hear a word, but Shacklebolt gave me a nod and left the store. The trio was right behind him.

Hermione helped me sort through the shelves while the guys walked off. "Your potions book is in the back by the magical creatures. I'll keep a look out on the Defense Against the Dark Arts one."

I thanked her and headed to the back of the store. Back there, it was a lot emptier than every other place I had been today. Searching through the rows, I was oblivious to someone else joining me.

"You made it home, I see." I turned to see Draco smirking. He _was _cute.

"If you consider passing out in the snow and waking up in some stranger's house making it home, then yes. I did that quite well."

He gave me an incredulous look, "Is that a joke?" I shook my head no. Finding the potions book, I turned to the shelf adjacent to it for my magical creatures one.

"I'm fine, but I will never drink that much ever again," I said. He gave a chuckle for that.

"Or maybe you should just not walk home alone in the middle of the night during the freezing winter."

I paused, "Nah, I'm pretty sure it was just the booze." He laughed at that and looked down at my books. Just as he was about to say something, he was stopped.

"Malfoy, don't you have somewhere to be. Hell probably has a vacancy," Ron spat. I raised my eyebrow at him. Ron really was a sweetheart.

"Maybe you should get out. I don't think our friend here really wants to be associated with you," Harry added, with his wand held up. I looked at Draco. He had his poker face on, but I could tell he was calculating his next move. He rolled his eyes as he grabbed the Creatures book I was looking for.

"See you at school Peyton. By the way, you also left your scarf the other night. Pansy has it. On the train, we sit in the back. Find us," and with that, he brushed passed the boys and headed for a tall man with long blonde hair.

"You know him?" Ron asked skeptically. Harry looked a little shocked too.

"Yep," was all I could muster. I didn't want this to become an interrogation.

I walked to Hermione and took the books she had gotten. She started blabbing about something, but stopped when she saw the looks on her best friends' faces. By the time we got to Apothecary, they were whispering about me.

I felt outed. They stopped being welcoming. They stopped being friendly. Now I was this foreign thing they didn't understand. Alastor started talking to me about what protection Hogwarts had. Everyone got their ingredients and we headed for Fred and George's store.

Ginny was already there. She had been working as a counter girl over the summer and had done a few over the break. The place was packed. Noise everywhere, commotion, lights, everything. I had been here once before.

I got out of Alastor's sight and lost the trio. By the time they noticed I was missing, it could take ages to search the store. I put my hood up and headed towards Knockturn Alley. I convinced myself I would be back before they even knew what happened.


	7. Jumble Jumble

**Jumble, Jumble**

**The White Stripes**

Walking away from the shop was stupid, I understood this. The farther and farther I got away, the more I knew getting caught was likely. At the opening of Knockturn Alley, I made a choice. I can go back and do what those people want and expect of me. Or I can go down this street, which I have done numerous times before, break their trust again and get what I needed. I stood for awhile searching my brain. I knew what the right thing to do was, but it wasn't what I wanted to do.

"Lost?" an old crotchety man snickered. I didn't give him a second look as I adjusted my hood to cover my eyes and started down the street.

If you want to survive here, there are a few lessons one needs to know. 1) Never make eye contact, unless you know them. 2) Don't hold yourself too high 3) Always have your wand ready. 4) Know Your Surroundings.

My father taught me those rules when I first came here. As a squib, his life was in mortal danger more times than he would like to count. It didn't take him long that he needed to act the part of a weak, lowly creature. I never saw him beg though. It was only with dark wizards he would have to act inferior. Growing up with him, he was always tough and I wanted to be tough too.

All I remember of the first time I came into the wizarding world was being shocked, scared and surprised. Looking into windows, I couldn't fathom why there was an actual flying book. For that entire day, I had a look of astonishment on. I had only been seven.

I didn't know it was peculiar for someone to take their child down Knockturn Alley. I didn't get frightened until someone smiled at me with no teeth and yellow eyes. My dad laughed it off as we entered a smaller store. I don't remember what my father got there. I do remember it was the last time just the two of us went out before he left our family.

But I was heading into a different store. Farther down was a whole-in-the-wall place I found on my own.

I opened the door to the shop and the bell chimed as I entered. The place looked desolate. No one was at the counter, but there were sounds coming from the back. I strolled around to find an acceptable reading book. This place had everything. Cauldrons, books, brooms, potions etc. It was the only store that had a decent reading section too. I picked out three quickly and headed for the potions. Grabbing what I came for, I scurried out. Time was of the essence.

I walked as fast as I could towards Diagon Alley. I looked up to see Kingsley coming out of Borgin and Burkes. I paused and looked into a window. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw he was heading towards me. I just had to hide my face until he gets passed. Once he was only a few feet away he turned into another store. I exhaled deeply and fast-walked the hell out of there.

Breathing calmly, I thought I escaped. Until I turned in front of Joke Shop, I thought I was good. Awaiting my arrival, Alastor was looking around and his creepy eye landed on me. I stopped in my tracks. He approached me.

"I needed some fresh air?" I asked stupidly. There was no way he would let this go.

He grabbed my bag and flung it open without giving me enough time to react. He looked around the books and mockingly laughed at me.

"Did you really sneak off to buy teen romance novels? I can't believe that." He fished around in the bag for another few seconds when the gang came out of the shop.

"Hey, we didn't see you in there. Must have got lost," Ron snickered. Hermione jabbed him in the arm.

Kingsley came from around the corner. He said a few quiet things to Alastor and they decided we should be heading back.

Harry shrugged and Hermione didn't seem to mind, but I could tell Ron was bitching to the both of them.

We apparated back into the Weasley's living room.

"Back already? Oh dear, you must have been very fast shoppers." A look from Kingsley alerted her to the fact that something was up. I took of my robe, sitting in my jeans and t-shirt, and sat on the couch. I crossed my arms and felt uncomfortable stares.

"Hermione, dear, why don't you show Peyton where she will be sleeping tonight. And I hope you all go to bed early. We should be getting up at about 5. If you are all packed, we should be ready to leave at 6:30."

I grabbed my bags and went up numerous staircases. Hermione led me into a room with only two-beds. One was unmade and had a book on it.

"Ginny sleeps next door and I stay in here. You get that bed and the bathroom is right down the hall. There are towels and you can use whatever soap is in there. I am not a night-owl so I will probably go to bed at 9 o'clock anyway. Everyone else usually makes it up by 10. I don't know if Molly will push them though."

I sat down and tried to make small talk but it was clear she didn't want to. She stood in a nervous position and acted antsy when I asked about her.

"So what did they tell you about me?" I inquired.

"Your name, you are the survivor of the Muggle-wizard school attack and that you were supposed to be very bright and interesting."

"Well, interesting is one way to put it," I joked but she didn't seem to think I was funny in the least.

"We should be heading down," she mumbled, already leaving the room. Even though she was socially awkward and didn't like me, I could stand her.

The moment we entered the living room Mrs. Weasley called me into the kitchen. I had barely entered the door when Alastor pick-pocketed my potion.

"I know you have to pick a pocket or two and all, but was that necessary," I said trying to grab it back. He moved out of my reach and set it on the table in front of Kingsley, Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, and Prof. Snape.

Snape reached for it, reading the label. Shit.

"Is there a reason you bought yourself some Boogeyman potion?" Snape asked. Boogeyman potion was its street-name, which is why him saying it surprised me. More commonly, it is referred to as a Mara medicine. I knew a lot about the drug, I had been on it for almost two years, and I didn't know how to answer. Some girls were known to take it as an equivalent for abortions, given to someone who didn't need it could cause them to die in their sleep, too much of it was a sleep-walking acid trip and then there was always other things that could happen. But it does have a use.

Using it properly is a bad thing as well. To me, it is worse than the other possibilities. If you really need it, then people think differently of you. They classify you into a category between crones and psychics, right below psychotic. I didn't know how to tell him. Only he probably fully understands the consequence and reasons for the potion, him being a potions teacher and all.

Their faces stared at me. The clock ticked. Kingsley wouldn't stop glaring at me. Mrs. Weasley looked disappointed, but Mr. Weasley acted like there was still hope in me. He was wrong.

"I use it for what it is meant for," I said shakily. Deep breaths Deeper breaths. My hands were quivering and I could feel tears coming on. "Excuse me," I said. I stood up.

"Wait, would it be better if we talked alone?" He asked, becoming very interested. Keeping my eyes down, I knew what this would turn into. But, out of all of them, I felt he could clear my name a little. I nodded my head. Grudgingly, Kingsley left with the others following quietly behind.

"I find it hard to believe you use this properly, or even know how to," he stated.

I shrugged my shoulder, "Doesn't everyone."


	8. Happier

**Happier**

**A Fine Frenzy**

We sat there tensely. He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and looked at me. He

appeared to be entertained, like it was funny or something. He licked his lips as he put his arms

on the table bringing his fingers together.

"How often do you normally take it?" he asked. He looked at me, waiting for an answer. I

took a deep breathe. Tomorrow morning, I will leave here and go to school. He will be my

teacher for at least half a year, probably a year and a half. And I really didn't want to tell him

anything.

"I'm sorry, I really don't want to talk about this," I said. I grabbed the bottle and

attempted to run out of the room. A spell hit the door a split-second before I did.

"If you aren't going to inform me of your reasons for having the potion, I can't let you

leave with it."

I slowly spun around to face him. His facial expression spelled serious and I couldn't

handle one more night without it.

"I told you, I use it for what its meant for. You could say I have some bad dreams. I have

two drops with tea before I go to bed," I whispered.

We looked at each other while he considered my answer. With a flick of his wand, the

door was unsealed and I started up the stairs to head for the bedroom. I was ready for nap before dinner.

I couldn't believe that my secret would be out just like that. They will ask Snape what came out in the open, want the entire conversation relayed to them. He would tell all the adults and someone else will know. Only three people have ever known, and one of them is dead.

"Crap!" someone yelled as he ran right into me. I grabbed the banister, and caught my footing, dropping the Boogeyman vial. I looked at his face and realized it was one of the twins. He had dropped a box of things as well. I stuffed my potion in my pocket before he grabbed it on accident, and then I helped him pick up his odds and ends.

"You must be Peyton, I didn't run into you at the shop. I decided to run into you here instead, sorry," he offered his empty hand. I shook it. "Are you okay? You don't look too good," he said.

"That's just my face," I said, chuckling. His face got very red.

"No, I mean you look upset. You look good otherwise," he told me, realizing what he said. I couldn't help but blush.

"It's just been an interesting few days for me," I said. I bent over to pick up the rest of his junk. I couldn't tell what everything was. Some of it was part of his joke shop, there was a wood snake and I was pretty sure I saw a porn magazine, but he picked that up quickly.

"Hey, you want to play some quidditch? I was just going to drop this off at my apartment really quick, but the guys are outside by the shed. We have a lot of extra brooms."

I liked his friendliness. He acted as if he really did want to me come join. "No, I was on my way to take a nap. I don't think anyone would want me to join anyway. They don't seem to be my biggest fan and I'm no professional when it comes to Quidditch."

"Bullocks. Come join us. I will be back in five minutes. Go throw on something to ride a broom in. Jeans tend to be very uncomfortable, for me at least."

I bit my lip and he gave me an encouraging look and I couldn't quite say no. "Alright, fine. But first, you have to tell me which twin you are."

He furled his eyebrows at me, "Aw, that may be very important. I am the always wonderful and entertaining Fred Weasley. My dear brother George is at the store until dinnertime. One day, you will be able to tell the difference, although my mother can't quite figure it out sometimes." He bowed, almost spilling his box again.

"It was an honor," I said with a curtsy. "See you in a bit." He nodded. He went down the stairs and I roamed around until I located my room.

I saw that they had brought my clothes from Podmore's house. Riffling through, I found my favorite athletic running shorts. It was harder choosing a shirt. I couldn't decide if I should go with a tank or t-shirt. I looked outside the window and saw the frost forming. I decided adding a pair of sweat pants, long johns and two long sleeve t-shirts. I was already sweating by the time I put my hair up.

I rethought going outside as I looked down on my bed. It looked like it was asking to be used, the covers all nice and made. Crawling under the covers felt really nice.

A knock at the door woke me up. "Peyton, you in there?"

I groaned and rolled over. "Is it safe for me to open?" Fred asked.

"Ya," I replied in a groggy voice. I closed my eyes and put my head on the pillow again.

"Wake up sleepy head, you are needed on the team. We will be the gladiators and it will be awesome." I opened my eye and saw him sitting on Hermione's bed, just waiting.

I stuck my tongue out and slowly sat up.

"You look very warm right now, if I may say. You are ready for some winter Quidditch. The only exception would be your sleepy facial expression and attitude."

I rubbed my eyes, "How long was I asleep?"

He looked up at a clock, "Fifteen minutes max. Come on, people are doing some stretching right now. It is going to be a big game."

He stood up and I reached my hands towards him. In one big pull, I flew up and landed with my feet planted not-so-firmly on the ground.

"And we are off," he said, pulling me in the direction of the door. We made our way to the backyard and had to travel through some snow. The area they had set up was fairly large and all of the snow was melted, obviously from a wonderful spell.

When we joined the group, I didn't realize just how many Weasley's there were. The teams were separated. My team was Ginny, Fred, Me, a girl Ginny called phlegm, and Ron. The other team, the flying unicorns, consisted of Harry, Hermione, Tonks, Bill, Charlie. I was one of the Chasers and with only one bludger, the twins played both positions.

The game started off slow, but as it progressed so did the intensity. I was pretty sure Ginny and Harry were about to go at it in-between trying to grab the snitch and Charlie seemed to find fun by bumping into me. I found out phlegm was actually Fleur and she was not very good. I made a few points passed Hermione but she blocked the majority. About forty-five minutes in Harry did catch it, but we didn't lose by much because Ron had only let in two quaffles.

We were all tired and cold. It had been warmer with the sun in the air, but once it went away the chill started to seep in.

We headed into the family room and Mrs. Weasley had hot cocoa out for us. We only had a bit before dinner, so everyone started doing their own thing. Fred and George had a business talk with Charlie about capturing the power of a dragon's fire and everyone else broke off as well. I just sat, listening to Hermione and Ginny discuss the most recent Witch Weekly. I hadn't read it in a while, but I did have an opportunity to throw something once or twice.

I focused on my drink until Ron said my name. I looked up, surprised, because he had ignored me during the rest of the day, including the game when I helped him protect the hoops.

"Do you play wizard chess? I'm not that good, but no one seems to want to take me," he said. He acted like he was trying to hide it, but under his voice you could hear that he was pure skill.

"Sure, but I haven't won a game in two years," I said, which was true. My friend Jill had an obsession and I was the only one who would play her, because I don't mind utter defeat.

"Watch yourself Petyon," Fred said. "You don't know what you are getting yourself into."

Ron didn't fall for my four-move checkmate, but he did at least acknowledge that I knew how to do it. It took him about five minutes to king me. We played again, but he tried to be nicer by taking every possible piece he could before winning.

Mrs. Weasley called us in right as we began our third game, and I happily headed for the kitchen with everyone else. I ended up sitting next to George and Charlie and across from Fred. I had really wanted to sit by Ginny but she had bee-lined for Harry.

The dinner was delicious. I tried not to eat like a pig, it was one of my tendencies, but no one else seemed to hold back, except for Fleur. She was sitting next to Fred. I learned she was engaged and getting married to Bill over the upcoming summer. I tried not to stare, but I was trying to catch as many glances of his face without noticing. I found it interesting instead of disgusting. I wanted to just sit and look at him for a minute or two. Trying not to be rude, I looked at him whenever he talked and tried to do the same to everyone else.

I couldn't believe that there was so much food. Mrs. Weasley must have spent seventy dollars on this meal alone. We all thanked her and headed back into the family room for another hour or two. We were all sent up to our rooms to finish packing and to get ready for the morning.

Before I went to bed, I went down to the kitchen, made myself a cup of tea and put a few drops of Boogeyman into it. I had a few sips in the kitchen. Charlie came in and grabbed a glass of water. We made some small talk when there was a tapping was on the window. It was snowing and we couldn't quite see what was out there.

Charlie helped me open the window and in flew Peterie, my barn owl. He dropped a message on the table and started pecking at some bread Charlie gave him.

_Peyton, _

_I heard what happened and you need to reply ASAP if you are alive. We are all praying that you are okay. Please answer. Peterie showed up at my house a few days ago. He couldn't seem to find you. I sent him to all the places I thought you would be. I won't say who this letter came through, but it is my last shot. God, please answer. Please tell me you got it. The moment you open it. _

_Carleigh_

"Who is that from?" he questioned. Not everyone was trusting me. Since the knowing Draco thing got around, only Fleur didn't seem to be bothered.

"A friend. A muggle friend actually. She hasn't heard what happened. No one knows who is alive anymore."

I hugged my beautiful owl and sent him off with a reply. "I'll meet you at Hogwarts," I whispered into his ear. He took a last few pecks of the bread and flew out the window. Charlie and I closed the it and I went upstairs in a blissful state. He had been gone a long time and I had been worried. I couldn't figure out who she possbibly mailed him through.

Hermione was already asleep and I crawled into bed. I closed my eyes and fell right to sleep. During the night, dreamland was good to me for the first time in a long time. And I was the happiest I had been in a while.


	9. My Name is Jonas

My Name is Jonas

Weezer

I woke up to Mrs. Weasley knocking on every door. It was five o'clock in the morning and I could hear everyone in the house groan as we did our last minute packing. My bag already had most of my things in it. I stuffed my new books in and got dressed quickly. Hermione was ahead of the game and headed downstairs with her trunk .She didn't try to make herself look like anything special, but I wanted to make a good impression on whoever I met. This was the first day of school for me.

Once I had put on some makeup and gotten into a cute shirt and dark jeans, I started to levitate my bag. I looked down at my calf as I itched a bug bite and heard a loud bang. I gasped when I saw that I had somehow managed to drop my bag right onto Harry's leg as he was walking towards the stairs. He had been knocked backwards from the weight as was sprawled out in the hallway. I ran towards and cringed at the painful image.

"I'm so sorry," I muttered as I took the weight off his legs. He stood up and brushed it off. "He's called the Boy-Who-Lived for a reason," Fred reassured me as he dashed down the stairs, quickly followed by a stream of light. Harry and I looked quizzically at each other as we saw Ginny running quickly behind him.

"You better not ever pull that one again, Fred!" she screamed down the stairs. She stomped down the stairs after him in a huff and Harry and I laughed to ourselves.

"I really am sorry about that. I got distracted," I told him as we headed down the stairs, both our bags in front of us.

"It's no big deal. I have had worse, one time I had all the bones removed from my arms and I had to grow them back overnight," he said. I didn't believe him so he told me the story of the Professor Lockhart.

"He was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. There's a new one every year. Snape always does potions but he finally got to teach it. He has wanted to for like fifteen years so a lot of people thought it was odd that he finally got the job," Harry said as he put his trunk by the pile of belongings. As we went into the kitchen for the breakfast buffet, it got too loud to hear the rest of what he was going to say. I hoped that he would tell me later but I was distracted by the going-ons. The kitchen was filled with people walking around, eating and getting ready for the train. I found out that they had a few cars arranged to pick us up and take us to the closest train station, which will take us to King's Cross. The car ride would only be about forty minutes, which seemed pretty close for how out of the world the Burrow's location was, and another thirty on the train. Charlie would drive one of the cars and Mr. Weasley was expected to drive the other one. Apparently, the only other wizard in their group who could drive was Professor Snape, but he had to be at Hogwarts earlier.

Once everyone finished with the boisterous breakfast and we had loaded up the large cars, I got into the car with Mr. Weasley, Fred (who was hoping to sell some experimental merchandise to students), Harry, and Remus. Remus was in the front and I learned that this entire procedure was for safety. Normally, they would take a port key, but getting me there with no problems was the main concern. Charlie was in the lead car. His car contained Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Mrs. Weasley. Alastor was meeting us there. It was quickly apparent that Mr. Weasley had only driven a few times. Going down the dirt road, he could barely stay in his lines. It wasn't a problem until the road became cement and got a lot busier.

"Mr. Weasley, not to be offensive, but would you mind if I took the wheel?" I asked him after a close encounter with a large truck. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

"Oh, I do believe I am doing wonderfully. If you want to drive, though, I wouldn't want to take the opportunity away from you," he said in a very please-take-the-wheel kind of voice.

"I even have my liscense with me. I promise I have driven a lot."

With a nod of the head, he pulled over and we switched seats. Charlie had pulled over as we readjusted and then we were on the road again. Everyone had decided to switch seats, Remus didn't look comfortable being in the front after Arthur driving and Fred took his seat. Being the driver, I was happy to take control of the radio. Hearing the music hit my ears helped my release my anxiousness. I hadn't heard some recent, popular music recently. Although it may not always be the best, it is catchy and enjoyable. I kept the volume relatively low so we could talk.

It was obvious that Remus and Harry were close and Fred was telling me about every hidden corner in Hogwarts. It was hard for me to remember everything since I didn't know any locations, but he reassured me that the gang knew them aswell.

"The most important one is the passage to the kitchens. Although Hogwarts feeds you well, there is never anything better than a midnight snack. And house-elves love to feed you. Once, I got them to make me pot roast and apple crumble at 3 am."

"Maybe that is why your grades were not as good as they should have been," Mr. Weasley said in a fatherly tone. Fred shrugged. He didn't seem to be upset that he left school to make money. And from the way it looked, he was doing very well.

"So, what is this about you being friendly with Draco Malfoy?" Fred nonchalantly asked.

I took a very deep breathe.

"I have known him for about two years. I met him through a guy I dated, Peter Hatchel. We were together for like ten months and he is that guy that is friends with everyone, but is only really close with like one person. Anyway, I went somewhere with Peter and he introduced us, plus a few other Hogwarts students. After we broke up, I still hung out with a few of the people I had made friends with. I ended up dating this guy named Tyler, who was one of the guys in the group, and he is really good friends with Draco. So, I ended up hanging around with Draco's group a lot. Tyler and I only dated like three months and it ended badly. It was really cool though because whenever they had a school break I would always see them at this one place. Once we Tyler and I broke up, they acted like it was no big deal for me to still hang with them. I have gotten close enough with them to have been to a few of their houses. But, they aren't my best friends. I mean, now they are because I don't really have other friends. You know what I mean."

"I see. Tyler who, by the way? I feel like the name Peter Hatchel is really familiar," Fred asked. He didn't seem critical or mean about being friends with the "bad kids".

"Peter Hatchel was Cedric Diggory's cousin. You know he was in Hufflepuff. Well, I know you know better than anyone. But, Tyler's last name is Learing. I doubt you would know him."

"I think I met Peter once. Dirty blonde, average height, loved the Chudley Cannons?"

"That was him. I saw so many of their games. I was always a Wigtown Wanderers fan myself."

Then the Quidditch talk started. I was glad my distraction work because I really didn't want to talk anymore about Draco or Tyler and especially Peter. I really had loved Peter. When I broke up with him, I thought it was a good thing. My life wasn't the same though, so I settled for Tyler. And that was a bad idea.

We pulled into the train station and I was sad to know I wouldn't be driving for another few weeks. Everyone unloaded the cars to make sure we had everything. I kept the radio on as long as I possibly could. I sadly took the keys out of the ignition and handed it to Mr. Weasley. He laughed at my sad expression.

We boarded the train. I ended up next to Hermione who insisted on asking me about every subject. The entire useless conversation turned to Divination, which I could tell she really wanted to talk about.

"The woman is crazy. Really, someone should have had her sent out of there a while ago. Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard of all time, and he is probably the smartest wizard of all time too, yet he insists on keeping her around. Except last year when Umbridge tried to kick her out. I supported having her stay in the castle, because of the principle of it, you know?"

I opened my eyes wide to keep myself awake. At least I could be a part of the one-way conversation now. "I met Umbridge once or twice," I told her. She seemed suprised and listened intently. "She would take a day or two to come visit. Fudge wanted to set up a Ministry member at each school in the area. She watched a few of the classes and almost got a teacher or two fired but my school really fought it. It got to the point where Fudge sent a different one of his close advisors who re-graded the teachers in question. Needless to say, they passed with flying colors. Whenever we heard about anything at Hogwarts, even the staff referred to her as Professor Umbitch."

Hermione laughed at that.

"Dear Umbitch, such a shame she got a little lost in the Forbidden Forest, right Mione?" Fred asked as he turned around in his seat. He put his face above the headrest and Ron quickly followed.

Fred described how he and George set up a "swamp" in a main corridor. With his story-telling skills and Ron throwing in a comical word every sentence or two, the train ride went by quickly. Hermione even seemed to have a humorous side. Although they didn't reveal everything, she mentioned that she led Umbitch right into a half-giant. I had to give her props. Behind us, it was obvious Harry and Ginny were enjoying their alone time.

"So, whats up with that pair?" I asked, trying to seem completely noisy.

"Nothing has happened yet, but it will," Hermione replied. Fred just shrugged his shoulders, but Ron glared at her. I chuckled at his obvious disdain for the idea.

The train stopped and we had arrived. As I exited the train, I looked around at the familiar station. It was the closest to my school and I had been here too many times to count. I looked at the clock to see it was about eight. The Hogwarts train didn't leave for another forty-five minutes so I asked to quickly use the bathroom. Everyone seemed to jump on the bandwagon. When I was washing my hands, I looked up at my reflection. My hair was already looking stupid and I couldn't get my eyes to look any less pained. I splashed some water on my face to shock my senses. I wasn't ready. The moment I get on the train and see the castle, it officially happened. My family is officially dead, my friends are all officially gone and I am officially on my own forever. As everyone left the bathroom one by one, Mrs. Weasley approached the sink to wash her hands. I tried to splash my face in time, but she saw the tears coming. She didn't even hesitate to embrace me.

"I know, I know," was all she said. I cried into her shoulder. After a few minutes, I let go of her and looked at my reflection in the mirror. My nose was all snotty and I tried to clean it up. The entire time Mrs. Weasley was rubbing my back and telling me how things don't look good, but they will. She tried to reassure me that I would be safe but that wasn't what I was scared of.

"What is taking so long?" Ginny complained as she entered the room. She stopped dead when she saw me. "I'm sorry. I'll go."

"It's okay," I said, controlling myself. I wiped my face one last time and did a quick spell to make the redness go away. With a last squeeze of my hand, Mrs. Weasley followed Ginny back outside. No one seemed to really care that it had taken us a while, except for my favorite Remus.

"Alastor will be thinking something happened to us," he muttered. It took more self-control than I thought I possessed to not blow him up. When we got to the right place, it took us fifteen minutes to get everyone across. I went in the middle of everyone so I would be "as safe as possible" according to Mr. Weasley. As the rest of the gang joined us, I saw a lot of students. In my wizarding grade there was only a good twenty or twenty-five students, but including the muggle grades we had about three hundred and fifty students. I wasn't sure how many was in Hogwarts. Even for seven different grades, it seemed like a lot of people.

Alastor had joined us and so did another student in the grade, Neville. Escorted by his mean looking grandmother, the boy didn't seem to have much confidence. It didn't surprise me. I introduced myself when he didn't and that seemed to scare him more. Harry started a conversation up with him as I looked around. Standing about fifteen feet away, I saw Crabbe and Goyle. Crabbe looked like he had lost something, and bending over I saw Blaise find whatever he was. Crabbe gave a stupid, excited squeal. I laughed and my group turned to give me a weird look, but Goyle heard me too. He looked over and I waved. With a motion for me to come join them, I took my chance. I knew none of them would appreciate me going to talk to them, but I could care less.

"Hey," Goyle said smiling, He gave me a nice side hug, and then decided he could keep his arm around my waist. I pushed him away a bit and he got the hint. We started a little chit-chat. Blaise asked me about the last few weeks, and he appeared genuinely concerned. The entire time, Goyle was trying to get as close as he possibly could to me.

"Hey Peyton," Fred called. I motioned to give me a few more seconds and I told them I would see them on the train. Goyle didn't seem to want me gone, but I scooted off towards my group. I would really talk to them on the train. Remus gave me a look full of loathing and Neville looked like he wanted to piss his pants when we made eye contact again. _What a pansy_. Getting on the train was interesting. We grabbed a good spot and everyone put their stuff up. The prefects had to go devote a few minutes to getting ready for school and I stayed until they got back. Neville warmed up to me, but not by much. Their friend joined us and I could barely see with her naturally bleach-blonde hair reflecting the light. I don't think I had ever seen anyone so blonde. Obviously wacky, I really liked her. She said the oddest things and our conversation didn't exactly make sense. It was fun. When Harry and Hermione got back, I said I was going to look around to see if I knew everyone else. Ron rolled his eyes and I kindly ignored it. I was about to leave my wand, but Hermione pushed it down my throat. I was never a big fan of keeping it with me at all times, but it seemed to be a custom around here.

I hadn't walked down the train for more than minute before I ran into the girl from the robe shop. "Hey, Peyton right?"

"Hey, ya that's me. Susan?"

"Right on the dot, come join us. You must be the student that survived that awful mess at the muggle-wizard school. I was really confused yesterday and then my mom was like, obviously it's the student. Did I feel stupid or what?" I laughed and followed her in to meet her friends. She introduced me to them and they all seemed decently nice. We played a few games and I got to know them. Only one of them tried to get details from the attack, and Susan's glare got him to shut up eventually. A knock came at the door and who else but Cho Chang entered.

"Hey guys, we have another two hours..." she said, trailing off her sentence as her eyes pierced through my skull. Jesus Christ, I have bad luck. Anyone could have cut the tension in the room with a knife. I excused myself and pushed passed her before anything could happen. She stayed in the room and I felt my blemished reputation get destroyed. She would spread her hate for me by nightfall. I shook the thought out of my head as I headed farther and farther down the train. When I saw Draco's blonde hair, I knocked and went inside.

"Bout time you showed up," he joked as he sat up to give me room. The other people were Crabbe, Blaise, Pansy and, of course, Goyle.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Pansy asked.

"I was sitting with Susan Fawcett and her friends," I replied. Blaise made a face at the people and I continued, "I met her yesterday when I was getting robes. Anyway, we were doing just fine when Cho Chang decided to walk on in."

"Fuck you! No way," Pansy yelled, laughing. "What did you say? Did you shoot flames? Please tell me you did."

"No. I really was not in the mood. She just glared and I excused myself immediately. All I said was 'bye' to everyone else."

"That was a good plan," Goyle said stupidly.

Draco smirked, "I'm glad you joined us. We were thinking you and the Golden Trio were having too much fun." I didn't want to diss them, they had been nice enough, so I quickly changed the conversation. I sat for another half hour and during the entire time, Draco got closer and closer to me. My skin was on fire. I hated leaving and heading back to Harry and the rest of them. I was enjoying myself.

I changed with Hermione and when the train stopped at the station, I held myself together. I took my stuff and headed outside.

"Those are some ugly horses," I told to Ron. I wasn't ready for a sympathetic look, but he was ready to give one. I ignored it, it confused me more than anything.

The ride wasn't long but I was exhausted from a day of traveling. I could barely admire the Great Hall for its beauty. I was about to sit down next to Neville when I realized I wasn't supposed to. Dumbledore motioned for me to come forward. After a quick speech about rules and such, he brought out the sorting hat.

Only one new student has come today

So I am quite glad to say

I only had to write one single verse

It sounds much better when sung in reverse

I cringed at the impromptu song and a lot of the students tried to hold back their laughter. I sat down on the short stool and Dumbledore placed the hat on my head. I can't describe the sensation. It was like my mind opened up and doubled. I almost felt my brain working. The hat's voice resonated in my head, "You could belong a many places. One would do you harm, one would change your life, and one is where you want."

"Slytherin!" It bellowed. Before Dumbledore took it off so I could take my seat, it muttered. "Your power is wonderful. Use it wisely."

I took a seat that Goyle and Pansy had saved. Facing a person I didn't know, I quickly ate my dinner. The rest of the Hall was astonished that I was placed here, but I knew. Tomorrow I would wear my green robes.

Read and Review


	10. Wine Red

Wine Red-The Hush Sound

Within three days, I learned that life would be a lot different than I thought. Due to the fact that I was associated with Pansy and her group of friends, in addition to my recent event, a lot of things were clear: 1) People were afraid of me 2) People were confused by me and 3) People were going to talk about me more than initially expected. Although I knew people would talk at least for a little bit, I did not realize it would be to this extent.

Every time I walked into the room, I caught everyone's attention. In transfiguration, the only open seat was next to Hermione and a girl I didn't know in Slytherin. I wasn't sure which seat to choose, but Hermione gave me a nice smile so I felt comfortable enough to sit down. I don't think she expected me to take the seat, nor did the rest of the class. Even McGonagall's eyes grew large. In the common room, I couldn't even talk to any of the younger kids without them running away. During Potions, Slughorn continually questioned me in front of the class about my "experiences." He paired me with Greg Chambers, a ravenclaw obsessed with grades and quidditch. The kid wouldn't make eye-contact with me. It was the quietest potions lesson I ever experienced. And finally, during Defense Against the Dark Arts, Snape pulled me aside for the first lesson to test my skills while everyone did book work. After a few spells, everyone decided watching me would be more entertaining than the history of Legilimens and mind-reading. I was extremely embarrassed as people had to see my weak Patronus come out as a koala bear. Then, to make everything better, he complimented me on my ability to say spells "inside my head" and glared at half the class.

So I found the library to be a good getaway from life. It is the only place I found to be better than my old school. With my damn quill looking like it needed to be replaced, I tried to complete my first transfig paper.

"There's the new celebrity," Fawcett said as she dropped her bag down next to me. "You certainly have been making the news. You might as well have worn your knickers on your head."

I gave her a look and dropped my head in my book, fake crying, "And yet, I do not know what to do. I have always been a bit odd, but I am hitting freak status."

She laughed at me and started looking for a book in a nearby book shelf. "Well, appearing to be Malfoy's next 'girl,' being to be friends with Granger, showing extremely powerful skills, being the sole survivor to a Death Eater attack and having been sorted into Slytherin appears to have qualified you for that position."

"I am not Malfoly's next 'girl,'" I replied, rolling my eyes. It was the only one that I could completely deny.

With a smile, she replied, "Not from what I hear. He doesn't usually take new people under his wing, especially if they would hurt his reputation. And you could do that quite easily, depending on the angle one takes." I gave her a quizzical look and she continued, "You are powerful enough to survive a Death Eater attack, which may have included his father, you are friends with the golden trio, you grew up in a muggle community. That could hurt him. Or, the different angle, you are part of the Death Eaters and were supposed to survive, you are needed to get close to the golden trio, qualified as Slytherin material, a.k.a. powerful and evil, and yet, you are still extremely mysterious. You were probably not aware, but both would make you dating Draco quite the statement. And he likes his statements."

I put my hand to my face, thinking to myself. I could tell she was snooping a bit, but she did try to be cool and calm about it.

"To keep this straight, I am not working with Death Eaters. I was not supposed to survive. I should be dead," I told her, trying to keep my voice steady as the scene flashed through my head. "I'm assuming that the school has decided the latter though."

She gave me painful smile, "Sadly." I leaned back in my chair. This could be an interesting semester.

"I don't need to jump into bed with Draco, but I am going to be honest, I think he is beautiful. I don't think I need a statement now though." She nodded in agreement. She found her book after being distracted by our conversation and sat down next to me. Things were silent for awhile before I interrupted with a question I had to ask.

"What did Cho Chang say about me?" I asked, quietly.

With sympathy in her eyes, Susan answered, "You really don't need to hear it. She probably started a rumor or two, but she tends to be a jealous bitch. Don't get me wrong, I am her friend, but I know her well enough that I understand she did or said something she shouldn't have. Besides, she gets around a lot more than people know and drama with here is like rabbits having babies. And you seem a lot more fun that she is, so don't fret."

It was the first time someone had been genuine and kind to me for weeks. She continued reading her book, while I thought about what she said. We worked in silence when a bell rang for Herbology. I stood up and Susan told me it was her free period.

Before I walked away, she looked up and I smiled. "Thanks. You don't probably get it, but you are being the nicest person I have been talked to in weeks." She shrugged her shoulders, "It's no big deal. Now get to class young lady."

I turned to leave, but forget one last thing. "Where is class?"

"You seem to be eight minutes late," Mrs. Sprout quipped. Even running couldn't help me with Susan's awful directions. Driving had taught me to get it straight, but she still didn't know her left and right. "Everyone else seems to have a partner. If you had been here earlier, this may have been easier. Now I will choose a partner for you." Looking around, she seemed to be very upset and Draco was smirking. I gave him a questioning look, but he couldn't mouth anything to me before Sprout answered. "I think Neville and Dean will work well with you," she said snottily.

I set my bag on the ground next to Pansy's things. She was with Crabbe and did not seem to be happy with him. "If you fuck this up, I will kill you," she muttered. With a snort, I turned to my newly assigned partners. Dean Thomas was blatantly giving me the death stare, while Neville just seemed especially nervous.

"What are we doing today?" I asked.

"You would know if you had been on time. Do you like making a scene or are you just unable to do anything right?" Dean Thomas graciously asked me as he pushed past to grab leaves off an Asian plant. Neville eyes grew large at the comment and he turned and started chopping some roots.

"Actually, my friend gave me directions and I got mixed up. But, I can do some things right. For instance, if we are making fertilizer for the Fluxweed plant, then you should know that you should not chop that plant so thinly and to just crush the juice out." And really, Dean's chopping would be problematic in the later stages of the plant. Neville sneaked a peek and held back a smile.

"Um...she's right," he said in a hushed voice. I smiled at him, but he immediately looked back down. The rest of the period was mostly in silence, except for a necessary question or two. Sprout walked around all class, and she only criticized me and a Hufflepuff student. She kept looking for something to say to me, but it took her awhile to come up with anything. Herbology and Potions were my top classes, and my school had done this lesson. Twice.

When the bell rang, Neville ran out of the room. "Is he okay?" I asked Dean, who was picking his stuff up.

"I would assume being around you would be upsetting, considering." I gave him a weird look, "Considering?"

He rolled his eyes, "Not everyone is as unaware as you may think."

I stood by our table as he walked away. Draco came up behind me and picked my book from my spot and handed it to me, "What did he say?"

"That everyone is not as unaware as I think. But, considering I rarely think about everyone else, I am not quite sure what he is talking about." Draco smiled.

"Probably has to do with the class's conversation before your... tardy arrival," he snickered. I stuck my tongue out at him, as we left the class and walked across the ground. I wasn't sure where we were going, but I wanted to know what the conversation had been. I looked at him until he noticed. "Alright, so Sprout was doing the attendance when it was realized you were not there. She openly asked what people thought about you. Hannah Abbott, who has always had a big mouth, started talking about how she had heard that you were the secret daughter of the Lestrange's. Neville, who's parents are in the nuthouse 'cause of them, went pale and looked freaked out. She continued talking about every possible thing she had heard about you."

"I can tell you who my mom is and I promise you it is not Bellatrix Lestrange. Christ, who is she to say that stuff anyway? I haven't even met her."

Draco laughed, "Well, here everything is everybody's business, don't be offended. And I am perfectly aware you are not a Lestrange. If it was true, we would be cousins. Plus, there is no way a Lestrange would allow their daughter to be raised in a muggle community." His last remark slightly irked me, but his intentions were nice enough.

"I do wonder how you got put into Slytherin, though. Even the most powerful students can end up somewhere else without the right blood or background," he added. The comment hung in the air. I wasn't sure how much I should tell Draco.

Hesitating, I figured it wouldn't hurt anything, "Our little secret, my father was a Gaunt. He was a squib, but a Gaunt none the less. Once he got old enough, he was sent away and raised in a muggle life where he met my mom. I inherited the magical power that had skipped over him. Technically, I'm still half-blood."

Draco took in the information, "It's common knowledge that the Gaunts have all died out, but my mom mentioned something about another son once. I like that reason better than Abbott's."

"Why?"

"Because then you would be my cousin." He answered, leading me around the castle to a desolate area that appeared to get no sunlight whatsoever. I looked around so that I could hide my blushing face from Draco. God, I was like five years old.

He conjured a large blanket and plopped it on top of a dirt patch. He sat down, leaving me space next to him. I put my hands on my hips and looked down on him.

"Are we having some sort of a picnic?" I asked him.

He smiled and lay down, putting his hands up and behind his neck. I waited for a response, but when there was none, I took a seat next to him.

He closed his eyes, soaking up the little sun creeping through the leaves. I looked down on him, but he didn't seem to notice. I opened up my book bag and looked through my Transfiguration book. I tried to pinpoint the chapter the class was on, but McGonagall appeared to be one of those teachers that liked to jump around. It was a different book series than my school had ever used, and I wasn't used to it. I finally found the right chapter and continued on my paper.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered. I put my finger to my mouth, listening intently for any noise. On our left, there was a rustling of leaves. With a crunch, I could make out that someone was walking right by us. Making no sound, Draco picked up his wand and started standing up. Before he got to his feet, a body lunged out of the woods at us. I screamed and took a huge step back while Draco started laughing hysterically.

"That wasn't necessary, was it?" he asked Blaise, still shaking with laughter.

"Well, mate, I saw you and our dear friend looking much too serene and comfortable. I thought I would just liven things up."

I lay down on the blanket again while they started talking about this or that. Within fifteen minutes, another four people joined us. One of them was Pansy, who quickly tore me away from my homework. I listened as everyone caught up on the back-to-school gossip. I was glad to hear that I was not the highlight of the week for them, but that a 5th year Ravenclaw had slept with Blaise over the break and since been obsessed with following him everywhere.

"What can I say, guys? I'm a prodigy," he joked, unable to come up with a way to get rid of her humanely.

Checking the time, a girl I didn't know, Daphne Greengrass, said she was going to be late for Trelawney's class.

"Is that divination? I have it next too," I commented as she grabbed her stuff.

"What a joke," Pansy said, rolling her eyes. At my school, divination had been my favorite class.

"Yes, but I only took it for fun. Ready Goyle?" She asked, starting to walk away. The three of us headed into the castle towards a class that I had originally been looking forward to.


	11. Bone House

Bone House-The Dead Weather

Following Daphne and Goyle, I climbed up to the secluded classroom. Once my head popped into the room, all eyes were on me, including a batty old woman's. She was wearing a long, drape-like dress with a number of gold necklaces and rings. Her glasses gave her owl eyes and her hair looked more untamed than Hermione's.

"Don't come any closer, child! I feel the toxicity of your aura from here. So much pain. Ah, and something darker surrounds you! You will not survive the changes of the earth. Before spring, you will enter Summer. Beware of your enemies, beware of your friends! They shall all be your downfall."

The moment she had started her prophecy, I had stood frozen, half inside the room and half out. Daphne hadn't taken her seat yet, and I saw her roll her eyes. She put her hand out, and I took it. Standing firmly, trying to read the teacher, I heard a few students muttering. The class seemed to feel this was completely normal. I caught someone saying "she's still a crackpot" and "I could have predicted that one" and Goyle was playfully smirking at me. I loosened my shoulders and made my way towards a set of the free seats in the room. The professor didn't take her eyes off me for a moment, but after an awkward minute or two she started class.

"She predicts someone's death every year," a voice from behind me said. I craned me neck to see who was sitting directly behind me. Sitting, smiling at me, was a blonde Hufflepuff. An hour ago, I would have graciously grinned back, but right now I did not want to. Not only was my death predicted, again, but the bitch was Hannah Abbott. Taking a deep breathe, I spun my head to face the front of the class again. The topic was about the symbolic interpretations of the sky. Every student had to interpret the moon's position and the planets' alignment. The only part I enjoyed was that she asked specific permission allowing students to go anytime between 10 pm-3 am for the week after next.

Ignoring Goyle's lame attempts at footsie, while Daphne was ignoring his wandering eyes, I kept hearing the prophecy in my head. Everyone in my class seemed to brush it off; they had said she was a joke. Yet, it rang in my ears. It wasn't the first time I had heard it. With a bit of a word variation, the idea was the same, "Before spring, you will enter summer."

I tried to block the memory from my brain, but it kept itching at my conscious. About six months ago, I had been wrapped in my fall coat, wearing my muggle clothes and having a girls day out. With my friends Meg and Riley, we had spent all day shopping and dropped the bags off at the car. Driving the streets with little to do, we found ourselves in a desolate area. It had Gypsy looking shops, foreign jewelry and fortune tellers. For fun, we went into a particular store that had witchcraft items. Although a few of the things were junk, we were surprised to see a lot of familiar ingredients. What caught my eye, though, was a crystal ball. I was pulled towards it. Staring at the swirling mist, I needed to touch it. Instinctively, I reached my hand out but a woman interceded and slapped it down.

"Read the sign, do not touch!" she yelled. I shook myself out of my trance and looked at her. She took a step back and looked me up and down. Meg and Riley had slipped down a different aisle and it was just the two of us. "It is told that the crystal has the power to reveal the darkest secrets, future anguish, death and untold mysteries to a few powerful ones. For those that cannot handle the power, they are doomed from the moment of touch. I don't think a little school girl could handle it," she informed me, finishing with a laugh.

Her skeletal face was so angular that I couldn't look away from her frightening air. Falling from her neck, tan beads went down to her waist. Her thin, brown hands sat on the shelf, waiting for me to attempt making contact with the crystal ball again. Soaking in her words, I couldn't help but continue wanting to reveal its magic. When I had walked into the store, I sensed something powerful, and this was it.

Pulling myself together, I spun around and went looking for Meg and Riley. They had heard the woman reprimanding me and wanted to know what had happened. I told them, and they seemed unsettled. We intended to head out after Meg bought a charming dog tail-she needed it for an experimental potion-and as we walked to the cash register, I went back to a shelf for my purse. I had left it there on purpose. With the woman distracted at the front, I immediately headed for the crystal ball.

The mist appeared thicker than it had been before. I could almost make out faces and people in the cloud-like shapes. I reached my hand out. The closer my hand got, the more my surroundings disappeared. When my middle finger barely brushed against the cool surface, I stood in nothing.

There was no color, no light. And no air. I took a deep breathe, but it was as if I was just opening my mouth. Yet, my body was not panicking. I could feel my hands and wiggle my toes. A voice was coming from somewhere around me, and I couldn't understand what was being said until it came closer. The voice did not sound masculine or feminine.

"_Death is not far. It shall surround you before it takes you. Everyone shall be the cause, you cannot stop it. Summer awaits your arrival, for you will be lost in that land for eternity."_

Surrounding me, the darkness disappeared and it showed me, alone, in a wooded area. I saw myself kneeling over, vomiting. I spun around, attempting to find something familiar. I jumped when I heard an unfamiliar voice. Beside a large rock, a robed wizard stood. Their hood hid their face and he/she slowly, with purpose, came towards my crumpled body. My face looked like it had that very morning; I was the same age.

"I gave you a chance," the wizard told me. "You decided your own fate. All these things happened because you let them. You could have ended differently." And with the flick of his wrists, I saw myself die.

I opened my eyes, hearing screams, and gasped for breathe. The woman was bent over me, terrified. Meg was shaking me as Riley drew out her wand. After I felt my lungs fill up, I tried to capture the vision before it left. I focused on the image, trying to recall every detail. I realized the screams had been coming from my own body. Somehow, I had ended up on the ground. As I stood up, I realized tears were rolling down Riley's face, Meg was redder than I have ever seen her, and the woman's expression turned from concern to rage.

I tried to mutter something, but I could not come up with anything. I grabbed my bag and headed for the door, my friends following quickly. No words were spoken until we had walked two blocks away. Riley grabbed my arm, and turned to face her.

"You touched it?" was all she asked me. I nodded my head. Meg burst into tears and quickened her pace towards the car. We drove home in silence, not even the radio was playing. I dropped them each off and went inside. I showed my mom the clothes I brought, and she seemed oblivious to my mood.

After a few days, my friends tried to ask me what I saw, but I couldn't tell them. It was too disturbing to repeat. And the vision ended up not being my only problem. It was after my encounter with the crystal ball that my "dreams" began.

"And do not forget to save time next week," Trewlaney told the not listening class. "Each student will be allowed thirty minutes during the night. Everyone will be able to pick their own tower to view from. I have the sheets to designate times for each house. This will be an individual project."

Getting to the sign-up sheets last, I was blessed to have the left-over time slot; 2 a.m.

Thanks for reading! I have been busy with college things, so writing has been difficult to pencil into the schedule. I would love some reviews. I'm not sure how I am feeling this story in particular. Give me some feedback. I know how I'm ending this, but constructive criticism really does help.


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